Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

T· 1429
390 The Life of Muhammad
enemy to let them know that he was pursuing them so that they might
think he was in strength, and that their losses had not we~kened them.
'Abdullah b. Kharija b. Zayd b. Thiibit from Abu'I;Sa'lb, a freed slave
of 'A'isha d. 'Uthman, told me that one of the apostle S c,ompamons from
589 the B 'Abdu'I-Ashhal who had been present at Ul,lud saId, I and one of
my b;others were present at U1)ud and we came back wounded. ':Vhen the
apostle's crier announced that we must pursue the enemy, I sa~~ to ~y
brother or he said to me, 'Are we going to stay away from an exp~dltlOnwlth
the apostle? \Ve have no beast to ride and are severely wounded. However)
we marched out with the apostle and since my wound was less severe, when
he was enfeebled I put him on the beast for a time and we, walked and rod,e
turn and turn about until we came up to where the Mush~s had. halted.
The apostle went as far as J:lamrifu'l-Asad, about eIght mIles from
Medina ( 61 7). He stayed the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and
then returned to l\1edina.
'Abdullah b. Abu Bakr told me that Ma'bad b. Abu Ma'bad al-Khuzii'i
passed by him. The Khuza'a, both their :YIuslims and polytheIsts, were
confidants of the apostle in Tihama, they havmg agreed that they would
not conceal from him anything that happened there. Now a.t thIS tIme
Ma'bad was a polytheist and he said, 'Muhamma?, we are dlstr~ssed at
what has happened to you: [To with your compamons] and we WIsh that
God would preserve you among them.' Then he went out whd~ the apost~~
was in Hamra'u'l-Asad until he met Abu Sufyan and hIs men In al-Rau1)a
when they had determined to come back t~ the apost~e and hi~ companions.
They said, '\Ve have killed the best of hiS compamons, thel~ leaders an~
their. nobles. Shall we then go back before we have extermmated them.
Let us return to the survivors and make an end of them.' When Abu
Sufyan saw Ma'bad he said, '\\That is the news?' H~ replied, 'Muham~ad
has come out with his companions to pursue you WIth an army whose ltke
I have never seen, burning with anger against you. Those who stayed
behind when you fought them have joined him; they are sorry for what
they did and are violently enraged against you. N e~er ~ave I seen anyt~mg
like it.' He said, 'Confound you, what are you saymg? He answered, By
59° God I do not think that you will move off before you see the forelocks of
the ~avalry.' He replied, 'But we have determined to attac~ the~ to
exterminate their survivors.' 'He answered, 'But I would adVIse agamst
that. \Vhat I saw induced me to utter some verses about them.' When he
asked what they were, he recited:
My mount almost fen with fright at the clamour
When the ground flowed with troops of horse
Hastening with noble lion-like warriors
Eager for the fray; firm in the saddle;' fully armed.
I Mil is the pI. of amyal 'not fully armed'. It also means 'unsteady in the saddle:' a
meaning supported by T.'s khurq. However, the first is a cliche among the poet~ and is a
synonym of rna cizil. the word that follows it.
The Life oflJfuhammad
I continued to run, thinking the very earth was moving.
\Vhen they came up with the prince who never lacks support
I said, 'Alas for Ibn .f:Iarb when he meets you
\Vhen the plain is surging with men.'
I warn the people of the sanctuary plainly
Every prudent and sensible man among them
Of Al].mad's army-no poltroons his riders
And the \varning I give is true.
These words turned back Abu Sufyan and his foHO\.vers.
Some riders from 'Abdu'l-Qays passed him and he learned that they
were going to Medina for provisions. He said, '\Vill you take a message to
Muhammad for me? And I will load these camels of yours tomorrow with
raisins in Ukaz, when you arrive there.' They agreed, and he said, 'Then
when you come to him tell him that we have resolved to come to him and
his companions to exterminate them.' The riders passed by the apostle
when he was in I:Iamra'u'I-Asad and told him of what Abu Sufyan had said
and he exclaimed, 'God is our sufficiency, the best in whom to trust (618).'
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri told me that when the apostle came to lVIedina 59'
'Abdullah b. Ubayy b. SaWl who had a place which he used to occupy
every Friday without opposition out of respect for him personally and his
people, he being a chief, got up \vhen the apostle sat on the Friday addressing
the people and \voldd say, '0 people, this is God's apostle among you.
God has honoured and exalted you by him, so help him and strengthen
him; listen to his commands and obey them.' Then he used to sit dO\vn
until when he aeted as he did on the day of ul;ud and came back \\-ilh his
men, he got up to do as he was wont and the :!\-Tuslims took hold of his
garments and said, 'Sit down, you enemy of God. You are not worthy of 59Z
that, having behaved as you did.' So he went out stepping over the necks
of the men and saying, 'One would think I had said something dreadful in
getting up to strengthen his case.' One of the An.'?ar mct him at the door
of the mosque and asked him what was the matter. He said, 'I got up to
strengthen his case \vhen some of his companions leapt upon me and
dragged me along with violence. One viQuld think that I had said something
dreadful.' He ans\vered, 'Go back and let the apostle ask forgiYeness
for you.' He said, 'By God, I do not \vant him to.'
The day of Ul;ud was a day of trial, calamity, and heart-searching on
which God tested the believers and put the hypocrites on trial, those who
professed faith \vith their tongue and hid unbelief in their hearts; and a day
in which God honoured with martyrdom those whom he willed.
PASSAGES IN THE QURAN WHICH DEAL WITH GI:IGD
Abu Muhammad 'Abdu'l-Malik b. Hisham told us from Ziyad b. 'Abdullah
al-Bakka'i from lVIuhammad b. Isl,laq al-Mugalibi: There are sixty